Clothes-rack.



D. C. ROSS.

CLOTHES RACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1910.

Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

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' UNTTEE %TATE% PATENT DANIEL C. ROSS, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

CLOTHES-BACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 6, 1910.

Patented star. "4, i911.

Serial No. 559,818.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL 0. Ross, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Clothes-Rack; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, ref erence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to racks of the class intended more particularly for use in kitchens, laundry rooms, or the like, for the hanging up of dish-towels, dish-rags or other small. articles, but is not restricted to such use as it may be used in any connection for which it may be adapted or appropriate.

The object of my invention is the provision of an improved and highly efficient device of'this character which is simple, light and durable in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and provided with one or more bars or article supporting portions adapted to be easily and quickly shifted from inoperative vertical position to operative horizontal position, or vice versa, and when shifted to vertical position to automatically lock itself against an accidental lowering from such position, and which also has hooks combined with its bars to enable articles to be hung thereon.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and a preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accomi ianying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the rack with the bars raised to inoperative or vertical position. Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof with the bars lowered to operative or horizontal position, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the rack with one bar raised and partly broken away and the other bar lowered.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the wall bracket or part of the rack which carries the bars 2. This bracket is shown in the present instance as being formed of an angle-iron bar the end portions of which are bent downwardly to provide the diverging downwardly declining portions 8, 3. The vertical flange of the bracket 1 may be provided with screw holes t to adapt it to be secured to a wall by screws, or it may be secured to a wall in any other suitable manner, and has the horizontal flanges of its declining portions 3, 3 provided with openings 5 for the bars 2- to work in, which open ings are preferably longitudinally elongated to facilitate an assembling of the parts of the rack.

The bars 2 may be of any suitable number for which the length of the portions 3 of the bracket may be adapted and may be formed from heavy wire or other suitable material, and are substantially Ll-shaped with their legs 6, 6 projecting freely through a set of openings 5 in the bracket 1. The portions 7 of the legs which project through the openings 5 are outwardly offset from the major portions of the legs, or the portions thereof which connect directly with the central or loop portions of the bars, thus forming the legs with the shoulders 8 which coact with the horizontal flange of the bracket 1 to limit the inward movements of the legs within the openings when a bar is in upright position, each shoulder 8 being preferably inclined in substantially the plane of the associated portion 3 of the bracket. The legs 6, at the ends of the portions 7 opposed to the shoulders 8, project outwardly from such portions at substantially right-angles thereto, as shown at 9, whereby the portions 9 project downwardly when the bars are in horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The outer terminals of the portions 9 are curved to form the hooks 10 upon which articles may be hung when the bars are in horizontal or vertical position.

Each portion 9 has its inner end portion inwardly crimped, as at ll, to provide a shoulder for engaging the lower marginal wall of the associated opening 5 at the inner end thereof to prevent an accidental withdrawal of the bar leg from such opening. The crimps 11 do not, however, interfere with the free pivotal movements of the bars 2 relative to the bracket, and while preventing an accidental removal of the bars from engagement. with the brackets are adapted to be sprung by a relative twisting of the portions 7 and 9 to permit a disengagement or engagement of a bar with a bracket.

When a bar 2 is swung to horizontal position the pendent portions 9 laterally abut against the vertical flange of the bracket and limit the lowering of the bar, while the portions 7 of the bar legs when a bar is in vertical position work downwardly through the openings 5 and abut at their lower end portions against the vertical flange of the bracket to prevent a lowering of the bar, as is apparent by reference to the drawings. The inclining of the end portions of the bracket *auses the bars when lowered to be disposed in stepped relation or in different horizontal planes, and the bars have their loop and leg portions preferably progressively lengthened as shown.

It is apparent that the rack may be made of any size and equipped with any desired number of bars without departing from the scope of my invention. I also wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction or arrangement of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. An article of the class described com prising a bracket member having openings therein, substantially U-shaped bars having the legs working loosely through said open ings and provided on one side of their respective openings with shoulders for limiting the movements of the legs in one direction within the openings and having portions which are disposed on the opposite sides of the openings to said shoulders and spaced from such shoulders, bent to pivotally coact with the walls of the openings to permit a limited turning movement of the bar relative to the bracket and forming hooks upon which articles may be hung.

2. In an article of the class described, a bracket member provided with openings and a bar having its major portion substantially U-shaped with its legs projected loosely through said openings, said legs being pro vided on one side of the openings with shoulders for limiting the movements of the legs in one direction within the openings, thence extending straight for a distance through the openings, thence bending at substantially right angles to the legs and forming lateral crimps adjacent the point of angle, said bent portions serving to limit the lowering swinging movements of the bar and said crimp portions serving to prevent a withdrawal of the bar legs from the openings.

3. In an article of the class described, a bracket having its ends oppositely inclined and provided with horizontally extending portions provided with elongated openings, substantially U-shaped bars having their legs projected loosely through said openings, said legs being provided with shoulders on one side of the openings for limiting the movements of the legs therein in one direction, thence extending through the openings for a distance to permit limited recipro catory movements of the legs within the openings, thence bent to coact with the bracket to limit the movements of the legs therein in one direction and to form straps for limiting the downwardly swinging movements of the bars.

l. in an article of the class described, an angle iron bracket having its ends oppositely inclined and the horizontal flanges of such ends provided with openings, substantially U-shaped bars having their legs working loosely through said openings and provided on one side of the respective openings with shoulders for limiting the movements of the legs in one direction within the openings and having portions which are disposed on the opposite sides of the openings to said shoulders and spaced from such shoulders, said portions being bent to pivotally coact with the walls of the openings to permit a limited turning movement of the bar relative to the bracket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL C. ROSS.

lVitnesses C. W. OWEN,

E. E. THOMAS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

